“Good sales and marketing, quality control, pricing, customer service and after-sales all help businesses to generate sales. But good customer experience (CX) creates customers for life.” – Forbes Magazine
Team TSA could not agree more – customer experience has and always will be one of the top priorities for brands. In an increasingly competitive market, where products and services may be similar, CX emerges as the key differentiator of success. So, while exceptional CX will never go out of fashion, the way service is delivered continues to evolve at a rapid pace. As a result, understanding what’s working (and what isn’t) from a current perspective is advantageous for any brand aiming to elevate their CX strategy.
What’s in
Seamless and intentional customer experiences via omnichannel delivery.
In 2024, omnichannel delivery becomes less about quantity, more about quality, less about the number of channels you have open for connection, and more about “meeting customers where they are”. Customers now expect continuity in interactions, eliminating the need to repeat themselves across platforms. To meet this expectation, brands will employ smart authentication and CRM tools to track interactions across a growing number of channels.
Harnessing the power of Generative AI (Gen AI) in conjunction with Large Language Models (LLM); but not without considering customer acceptance, effectiveness and security.
Gen AI has the capacity to greatly benefit CX with potentials ranging from chatbot problem solving to extracting and analysing customer behaviour data and streamlining the onboarding process for new team members. But, as a relatively new tool its successful integration relies on companies being transparent about its use. Presently, AI is fuelled by data, therefore the effectiveness of Gen AI hinges on securely capturing good quality data. For certain companies, this will mean reconsidering the types of data they gather, plus adopting new ways to manage its collection, storage, and distribution.
Prioritising employee experience (EX) directly influences the quality of interactions and service provided to customers (CX). It’s crucial, therefore, to get EX right.
When employees feel valued, supported, and fulfilled in their roles, they’re more motivated to go above and beyond to meet customer needs and expectations. Opportunities for building connections, professional and personal development, tech tools, and regular recognition can support a more positive employee experience. In turn, it translates to better interactions with customers, leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Sentiment analysis used to drive CX initiatives and gather insights enable a dynamic understanding of customer demands and satisfaction.
In 2024, sentiment analysis will play a greater role in informing CX strategy. By analysing customer sentiments expressed through various channels such as feedback, reviews, and social media interactions, businesses can better grasp customer needs and emotions in real time, allowing them to tailor their strategies and offerings to customer demands.
Privacy and data security – and its communication to customers – is a business priority.
More companies will invest in Security Awareness training for employees to help combat security breaches. Research from Stanford University suggests that human error is involved in around 88% of security breaches, making it more important than ever that employees are trained to pick up threats and suspicious activity. Minimising risk prevents the loss of PII, IP, money and/or brand reputation. AI tools will also be implemented to prevent privacy and security breaches. AI can identify anomalies and offer a level of protection by taking immediate actions if certain conditions arise.
What’s out
Minimising the value of human interactions
Customers seek emotional connections with brands that align with their personality, lifestyle, and values. While technology can streamline processes and reduce costs, over-reliance on low-cost channels may diminish customer lifetime value, leading them to seek alternatives. To foster emotional connections, companies must view customer experience as a shared, co-created encounter occurring at every touchpoint, whether physical or digital. Each interaction should reflect the company’s values to establish a lasting human connection throughout the customer relationship lifecycle.
Technology used as a solve-all
See above!
Plus, the latest KPMG ‘Global Customer Experience Excellence Report’, finds that in 2023 customer satisfaction saw a global decline. Technology, specifically and predominantly, contributed to this fall by directing more customers to low-cost/low-satisfaction channels. For many (not all) these channels still generate friction for their lack of human touch.
Volume of data instead of quality of data
For the past decade (or more), businesses have been obsessed with collecting massive amounts of data. But, according to the same KPMG Report, “This overloaded businesses, which had to spend time curating, cataloguing and analysing large amounts of data. More recently, organisations have shifted their perspective to customer outcomes, working backwards to answer the question: What data do we need to deliver the required business outcome?” So, instead of focusing on the volume of data, companies need to better understand the specific data required to drive AI models to generate the information they need.
Not having a business continuity plan
The last few years have taught us that even in the face of disruptions, there’s no excuse anymore not to have a business continuity plan to ensure customer’s experience of a brand remains consistent – no matter what happens.
TSA are Australia’s market leading specialists in CX Consultancy and Contact Centre Services. We are passionate about revolutionising the way brands connect with Australians. How? By combining our local expertise with the most sophisticated customer experience technology on earth, and delivering with an expert team of customer service consultants who know exactly how to help brands care for their customers.